The Best Intentions
by TheImmortalWanderer
Summary: Set after the main series and before The Rebellion. After running afoul of the law, Kyouko finds herself about to face hard time in jail. But she finds herself saved thanks to the a benefactor who wants to repay a kindness she did long ago, and as time passes between the two Kyouko discovers she may finally be able to have the closure the tragedy of her wish and losses denied her.
1. Prologue

Immortal: Hello all! I've decided to start posting stories again, and this one is inspired by a doujin that I read, so I thought to take some thought and make a story about it. Hopefully this will be something I can stick with as much as I can because I really put a huge amount of thought into this.

_Words spoken this way are either speech from thought or telepathy._

Disclaimer: The following subjects are not owned by me, but instead by their respective owners, and this is a non-profit fan-based tribute to the series with no intention of harm in any way, shape, form, thought, idea, or concept. They belong to Gen Urobochi and SHAFT. Rated T for language.

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**The Best** **Intentions **

Kyouko Sakura grinned viciously with her last pocky hanging out of her mouth like a victory cigarette as the final Wraith of the night was felled by one slash from her spear. The night was a rather boring one, but since Walpurgisnacht had been over and done with the city has seen peace that was noticed seen only by certain defenders. After looking at the fight in the alley, Kyouko wondered for a moment what people would think if they saw this sort of shit in real life. She changed back to her normal jacket, undershirt, jean shorts, and brown boots, returning her ruby-red soul gem to her ring before walking down the street, nibbling on her pocky. There was a nice wind blowing, although the night air kept her comfortable as she thought of what to do with the rest of the evening before heading back to her temporary residence. Mami Tomoe, her former Magical Girl senior, had invited her to stay over as long as she needed to until things could be arranged for her friend to get a stable home, and while Kyouko certainly appreciated the room and board (not to mention the orgasm-inducing food and tea Mami would make), the redhead felt a little bit restless with nothing to do all day while Mami was at school. In fact, it really seemed that all Mami needed from Kyouko herself was the knowledge that she had somebody close to keep her company. It was a well-known fact to Kyouko that Mami easily got lonely, but now that she had Kyouko, it seemed like she was getting to be a lot better.

Kyouko had also in fact thought of going to back school. It would be hard sure, but she would at least be going to school with Mami and that time-traveler Homura Akemi, but seeing as how she hadn't attended classes since she was with her family- not that it mattered anymore. But maybe it would do some good for her by going to school and getting herself ready for a future beyond this Magical Girl stuff. Kyouko hadn't really thought of much beyond day-to-day survival on the streets since at any time she could die at the hands of some horrible abomination or fall into despair herself and become said abomination. But with things settled somewhat, she needed to look beyond the now. Kyouko laughed a bit at the thought as she tucked her hands inside her jacket. The way she was thinking was something that Sayaka Miki would've talked about! But just thinking about the blunette made Kyouko's grin slowly wear out as her thoughts turned to another subject. Thinking about that girl was just... It wasn't something she wanted to think too hard about lest she feel that annoying ache in her chest. Despite knowing her for less than a month, that girl had had more of an impact on her than even her senior had, and the fact that there were feelings that ran deeper then she thought, Kyouko didn't want to think of it anymore because now she was gone, just when she felt like she could really be close to her. Cursing for thinking again at the subject, Kyouko tried to change her mind to another subject, or more specifically to the monsters of then and now.

Before things changed, the barriers of the witches prevented mundane people from even noticing it, and that included those marked by a witches kiss all the way until they died. With these Wraith's it was somewhat of a different story. Sure only Magical Girls could kick their collective asses, but normal people could witness them if they were caught dead in the middle of the fight. The sad fools who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time were shit out of luck because the Wraiths nowadays drove normal people crazy just like witches did, but the upside was that they were substantially stupider and only dangerous in sheer numbers. Being near one was like relieving a horrible experience while having multiple ones around often drove normal people to commit suicide or some other awful thing. But if humanity had known about this sort of stuff, could they have really done anything about it? Kyouko liked to think so since Homura had talked about how she used to raid Yakuza and military bases for weapons she needed to fight and that they were perfectly good for destroying witches. Nowadays she used a special black magical bow along with some other fancy powers, but there were times she used ordinary weapons in her fight and they destroyed Wraith's just fine.

Maybe if normal people had known about this stuff, then humanity would've been forced to finally stand up for itself instead of sending young girls to a metaphorical (in one case literal from what Kyouko saw) meat grinder. Then so much tragedy could've been averted and Sayaka wouldn't have gone over the depths of despair and- "AH SCREW IT!" yelled Kyouko out loud, as she kicked a nearby glass-door out of frustration, snapping her pocky between her teeth as she lashed out for thinking about that subject despite trying to force herself not to.

Unfortunately for her, said glass door was not built to withstand the sudden frustrations of a Magical Girl and it promptly broke like Hollywood glass. As if to add to that, the establishment happened to be right next to the Mitikahara Police station. The alarm went off like a sudden screech that reminded Kyouko of a Witch in that karaoke bar a while back. No stranger to mischief, the destruction of both private and public property, and breaking the law prompted Kyouko to swear loudly and start to run away as several police darted out of the door to chase her down. The perks of being a Magical Girl allowed Kyouko to easily outrun even professional athlete's, but one guy was actually keeping her in sights as he broke ahead of his winded co-workers. Sweat beaded down his head as he ran after like the T-1000, not really expecting this girl to outrun him like this, but extremely determined to catch her. Police sirens went off and Kyouko could see police lights from the corner of her eye as she urged herself to run faster to get away from the bastard cop. The man was getting tired and he yelled, "STOP RUNNING! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!". "NUTS TO YOU!" she yelled back defiantly, flipping the bird as she kept the distance between them. Experience taught her that she could not outrun a speeding police car, so as one appeared a block ahead of her, she and her pursuer turned a corner. There was a wooden fence that led into an apartment complex, and with a grin she leaped against the wall, bounded off it, and cleared the fence before landing on the concrete like a cat.

Kyouko panted a bit before grinning at the fence, only to continue to hear the cop's footsteps as he ran, and then to her surprise he actually broke through the wooden fence! Kyouko's eyes went wide as she saw the cop pause a bit to catch his breath before looking straight at her. He reached for his holster as Kyouko started to turn, "STOP OR I WILL FIRE UPON YOU! STOP! PLEASE STOP!". Kyouko turned and ran anyway as she felt two pricks hit her in her left hamstring followed by her first experience of being shot with a taser. At first all Kyouko felt was a slight cramp, but the cop continued to pour on the power until Kyouko actually felt her left leg go numb followed by the worse cramp in her life. She turned to pull the wiring out, but the power was still going and it cramped her hand to the point she could not even let go. Like hell she was going to go to jail! With a hard tug, she yanked the taser needles out of her leg and surprisingly out of the cop's hand. Without wasting anymore time, she started to move, but her legs were like lead and slowing her down.

The stunned the officer could only wonder in astonishment at how a 15 year old girl was able to resist the jolts enough to pull the taser out of her herself and the gun itself out of his hands. He had seen grown and overweight men methed out of their minds go down after just half of what he put her through, but he could tell she was definitely feeling it because she was limping away with none of the speed she had before. While still out of breath, the cop took off at a slow run after her, picking up his taser as he followed her. Kyouko felt the cramps start to go away, but the taser was not a pleasant thing to feel since even being a soulless body meant she still had to feel electricity slow her muscles down. She considered turning into her Magical Girl form to get away when a police cruiser pulled up in front of her along with two officers leveling their tasers at her and ordering her to surrender. The redhaired girl swore repeatedly under her breath as she looked for an escape, but realized the apartment complex had just too many people around to witness her transformation, it was too high for her to jump the walls and escape to the roof since she could barely feel her legs. There was simply no feasible options left to her, and while before she wouldn't have cared, now she knew that she was going to have to face the consequences.

"Mami's gonna be so pissed at me..." she muttered as she slowly raised her hands. The policeman from before caught up to her, dripping with sweat as he told the other cops in between breaths, "This... _pant, pant_,... chick is fast! Check if she's... _pant, pant, pant... _on some kind of drug. Freaking... making me run and... pulling my taser out of my hands!". The other policemen soon came up, even more out of breath as the ones from the cruiser ordered Kyouko to put her hands behind her back before placing handcuffs on her and leading her to a police car. "Hey not so rough!" she complained as she struggled against the handcuffs being roughly placed on her thin wrists. "Keep struggling and see what happens, I dare you!" said one of the officers, placing the cuffs on Kyouko. This skinny girl who looked like a street urchin was surprisingly strong, forcing the officer to use a huge amount of force just to try to get a wrist cuffed. Finally it got to the point where he was sick of the struggling and said, "Since you don't wanna comply, here's an incentive!". He held onto Kyouko's bicep that was cuffed, reached for his tactical belt, pulled out his police-issued mace and sprayed the girl full on in the face.

Kyouko screamed, coughed and shook her head hard as she was blinded by the agonizing chemicals. Just taking the spray to the face caused her to yell, allowing the spray to get into her mouth and cause all oxygen to leave her lungs as she started coughing and aching with pain all over her face and in her mouth and throat. Tears, mucus, and spit poured out as the cop stopped spraying her when the one that chased her pulled him off her and yelled, "What the fuck is the matter with you!? She's just a fucking kid!". '_Yeah, way to be a white knight asshole!_' thought the Magical Girl angrily as she continued to cough hard, trying to get oxygen to her lungs. The other cop replied, "She was resisting arrest! I don't care if she's a brat, she wouldn't listen and stop resisting!". As the two argued, one of the policewomen cuffed her other wrist, went to the cruiser and pulled out a small medical kit. She returned and said, "Don't worry kiddo, this will take away effects of the mace.". Then she sprayed her with something and wiped her face off none too gently, almost immediately relieving the burning and tingling sensation she felt on her face. Although she was coughing, feeling a burn in her mouth and throat, it was easier to breathe as she was placed in the backseat headfirst. "I have... _cough, cough_ rights!". She yelled with a rasp as the police began their report outside the car, including the two officers who were still arguing about the need to mace her. She shook her head and sighed as she was soon driven to the police station in handcuffs. It was a short drive, but the whole time Kyouko was grumbling under her breath, "Stupid pigs... Not my fault damn door sucked, go eat a pizza and die." along with other various curses that were promptly ignored by her designated driver.

There were more police outside the station, talking to the owner of the place who was now missing a door, and Kyouko kept as much a straight face as she could, minus the burning that was starting to fade away. She didn't change her expression as she was taken out of the car and escorted up the steps into the stairs. The owner looked to be in his late twenties, but his hair was gray and he had a somewhat depressed appearance with bags under his eyes that indicated serious lack of sleep. He looked like he had just been awoken, although his all-black sleep attire made him look more fit for a funeral than anything else. But as he looked up at the vandal who broke his door, his eyes went wide and he stared at Kyouko as she was escorted into the building. It was her! There was no mistaking it! That red hair, her clothes, everything was exactly the same! "Sir, are you alright?" asked the policewoman questioning him with impatient tones. The man jolted his head a bit as if suddenly realizing she was there before saying, "Y-yes ma'am. I just... Erm. Listen, I want to drop the charges. Just, drop them completely.". The policewoman said, "Well you have to understand sir, she broke the law and has to be punished." "I know that, but I still want the charges dropped. " repeated the man. There was something about that girl that needed to be done, and he was not about to let this chance pass him by. "In fact, there's actually something I need to do with her, so when's the soonest this can be done?" "What do you mean sir?" asked the policewoman with a curious look in her eye. The man's depressed appearance soon changed into something focused and dead serious as he began to talk to the officer.

In the police station, Kyouko had been searched for anything illegal including any identification as to who she was. Seeing as how none of those were present, they decided to try contacting child services to see what could be done about the girl, but since it was late a night they were going to hold her. Fortunately they didn't take away the ring that contained her Soul Gem, but they led her into another room to be looked at by a medical officer to see if the mace and taser didn't do much more damage than needed. To the surprise of the female medical officer who looked her over, Kyouko didn't show any signs or symptoms from being both maced and tasered. Although she was obviously very upset, the woman couldn't really do much for her other than try to speak calmly to try reassuring her that things were going to be alright. As soon as some boring procedures that Kyouko only paid half-attention to were through (according the cops, she was in trouble for damage to public property, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, fleeing police, and trespassing on private property) she was escorted to a holding cell and was set for a night in the Gray Hotel. They were going to question her further in the morning, but in the meantime she was going to simply have to wait and she would be able to make her phone call in the morning. It wasn't all that bad since she at least didn't have to share a room with a rapist, murderer, or weird butch who wanted to feel her up.

She half-considered breaking out of the jail-cell, but it wasn't iron bars that held her, but a five-inch steel door with bullet-proof glass and a security camera watching her every move. This sort of thing would've been laughably easy to cut through with her spear, but then she would be a fugitive on the run, and it would only serve to upset Mami more if the fact Kyouko was a real life Magical Girl became common knowledge just because she didn't want to spend a night in jail. She heard a noise from the outside and through the small flap in the wall, she saw the cop that tazed her push through a small plate of taiyaki along with some warm coffee and a blanket. Kyouko looked at him sullenly and said, "You're no better than the asshole who maced me. So don't try kidding me with this charity bullshit.". The cop seethed a bit but maintained his professionalism as he replied, "Look, do you want these or not? I'm breaking protocols to try to help you out kid.". Before Kyouko could tell him to do something anatomically unlikely to himself, her stomach growled loudly. "Goddamn stomach...", she muttered as she took the plate and coffee. She downed the coffee immediately, commented on how it tasted like engine oil, and took the taiyaki before laying down on the hard block of steel that was her bed. The cop took off without another word to begin the last paperwork for the night as Kyouko slowly chewed her "charity". Then she placed the blanket over herself as she looked up at a spot on the ceiling and ate. At least now she was able to taste things with the mace out of her mouth.

"_Quite the perdicament you're in wouldn't you say_?". Came a familiar voice. From the foot of her "bed" popped two cat-like ears followed by the fluffy white body of the Incubator Kyubey. It's huge fluffy tail flipped side-to-side as it stared at her with the same permanent face as it always did. Kyouko stared at the ceiling as she responded telepathically, "_What the hell do you want? I'm in enough shit right now, so unless you plan on breaking me out of here I really do not need an extra headache._". Kyubey replied matter-of-factly, "_I could certainly try to get you the keys to aide an escape, but in a room full of armed people like this I highly doubt you would have any hope of staying here in Mitikahara with Mami Tomoe. Although I could entreat Homura Akemi to assist you, although she does not have her time magic, I imagine she could aide your escape_." Kyouko didn't say anything as she finished her taiyaki, staring hard at a spot on the ceiling as Kyubey walked on the floor and continued, "_Why not try using your magic of enchantment? Surely since Walpurgisnacht is gone, you ought to be more than able to use even a little bit of it, and using it will help you accept_-"

"**SHUT THE FUCK UP**!" yelled Kyouko out loud as she sat up to stare at Kyubey furiously. Apart from Sayaka Miki, talking about her past wish was an especially easy way to get Kyouko upset. The policeman looked at his computer screen to see Kyouko yelling at thin air before muttering to himself, "Junkies...". Back in the cell, Kyubey closed his eyes and said as he turned to walk away, "_Why is it so hard for you humans to act even when your own interests are at stake? I just don't understand it at all. In any case, I'll contact Mami so she will at least try to get you in the morning_.". As soon as he walked to the foot of her bed and out of sight, Kyubey vanished. Kyouko laid back down and said quietly, "Yeah, you do that.". The red-head was in for a long night, and she was not looking forward to having to explain herself to Mami. Right now, she was wishing she had access to her magic, because at the least she would be able to persuade the cops into letting her go. It took the hardest of concentration to use any form of magic, but her enchantment was still there if only at the barest minimum since Walpurgisnacht. Hopefully, she thought as she turned to her side and slowly closed her eyes, it would be enough for her to get out of jail.

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Immortal: Well this is the start, so hopefully more comes from this. I hope you enjoy this story as it starts and that you come to enjoy more. Updates will be scarce unfortunately due to the fact that I do have a full-time job and other obligations. But that spark to start writing has come back to me and I want to hold onto that as along a possible! Also as a side note, I have been exposed to tear gas before, and it is probably the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life!


	2. Jail Cake and Court Dates

Immortal: Greetings all, I have finally gotten work on a lesser scale, so now I have much more time to update and write. I intend to crank out as much as possible before it's back into the swing of things for me. Thanks to my first follower and my first reviewer for giving me a little "oomph!" in updating!

**Disclaimer**: In no way, shape, form, concept, alternate timeline, alternate universe, parallel universe, thought, idea, means, possibilities, impossibilities, do I own anything related to Puella Magi Madoka Magica and I urge you to please support the official release only.

**Jail Cake and Court Date**

"Hey brat wake up!", came a loud voice followed by the sound of a metal bar banging on the steel wall that separated Kyouko from freedom. Kyouko groaned a bit as she sat up, stiff from sleeping on her pitiful excuse of a bed. "Come on, you're needed for questioning." said the cop, whom Kyouko recognized as the asshole who maced her. Scowling, she sat up and got on her feet before flipping the bird at him. It wasn't the smartest of moves, but Kyouko didn't want to even look at the guy as he said, "Keep up the attitude and we'll make this even harder brat!". "_Yeah whatever asshole, cry me freaking a river._" thought the redhead as she was instructed to put her hands through a slot in the door, glaring at the handcuffs that were put on her. Afterwards, she was escorted to the interrogation room and was placed on the chair, her leg cuffed to the table that had it's legs drilled into the floor. The cop left her alone as she waited impatiently for the show to get started. As she waited, Kyouko felt a churning in the pit of her stomach at the thought of what Mami would say and how she would react. Scenarios ran through her head ranging from Mami freaking out and kicking her out her house to simply being extremely disappointed in her, and somehow the disappointment brought more dread than anything else. Kyouko heard the click-clack steps of heeled shoes from outside the room. There was a short conversation going on, and a policeman dressed in a cheap suit entered the room as he said, "...call you when I'm done." This was the same guy who had questioned her and informed her of the charges brought against her last night.

The previous night had them ask her the standard questions, her name, address, and relevant data about her. Things were tough for the cops because they couldn't track her through their systems. For one thing, Kyouko had been homeschooled and had thus never attended anyplace for her formal education so tracking school records was out of the picture. Plus due to her father being excommunicated from the church he preached at meant that he and the Sakura family were no longer part of any record belonging to the church. To top all that off, the only thing that really gave any semblance of identity to her was the fact that the article of her father's murder/suicide was still in the criminal database. The whole night had been spent piecing together just whom the church had been leased out to, and once that was establish, Kyouko's father had been identified through the main church where he was ordained as well as his marriage certificate, and finally his children's birth certificates. "I'm Lieutenant Sakazuki and I will be in charge of your case." began the man, setting the file containing the paperwork and information that he had dug up onto the steel table. Kyouko didn't speak as the cop opened the file and rifled through a few pages. "Your father's name is Sakura Tetsuya, married to Naoko and the father of two children, Momo and Kyouko." he said out loud as he looked through the papers, not looking at the teen before him. Then he went on, ignoring the glare from Kyouko as he pulled up a paper of a news article, "Three of the family members were discovered in a forced suicide after the building was caught on fire believed to be started by one of the family members and the other member was declared dead. Officially you were declared missing, but given the circumstances surrounding the incident, it would seem that is not the case.". The cop looked up at Kyouko, who was glaring at him with her hands clenched on the table so hard her knuckles were white. "Listen, before you jump to any conclusions, this is just to verify information about you since you have neither official school transcripts, nor any paper trail. As far as the system is concerned, you are a ghost." said Sakazuki. Kyouko leaned forward with a smartass sneer and said, "Then don't be surprised if I crawl out of your tv and kill you later.".

The older man raised an eyebrow before saying, "I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. As of right now, we have a social worker here in order to get started on making a paper-trail for you so you will be able to have an actual life instead of just living on the streets." "I'm doing fine myself thanks." replied Kyouko abrasively. "Really? I imagine sleeping out in the cold isn't very fun, especially considering what you're wearing." was the reply. Kyouko didn't say anything, but continued to glare as the cop sighed and put the paperwork aside. He stood up, reached for his belt and to Kyouko's surprise he pulled out a set of keys and uncuffed her. She rubbed her wrists a bit as Sakazuki said, "Alright look, you're still young and shouldn't have to be out on the streets. You probably don't know this, but over the past few years we've had young females around your age go missing. No bodies, no indication of her being kidnapped, just simply gone. I have a kid of my own, about your age group, and I'd hate to see her suddenly vanish with no idea where she is. It isn't right for somebody with so much potential in their future to have it suddenly cut short." "Well nobody really gives two shits about some street urchin, so it's not like anybody's gonna miss me. As for a future of any kind, I highly doubt I'd be around long enough to see what will come." replied Kyouko. That wasn't really true, but the cop didn't need to know the details. He'd probably have her committed to some insane asylum or something, but to his credit he did seem to be sincere and wasn't all that far off on his statements. But he was woefully ignorant of the real fact behind the disappearances, that they had either been horribly killed by an eldritch abomination or fell into despair and turned into one themselves before they were destroyed by another Magical Girl. Sakazuki persisted and said, "C'mon, for you to be healthy and well, which is more than I can say for others who are homeless, somebody HAS to be caring for you. Relatives, friends, classmates?". Mentioning Mami by name would likely put her at risk for trouble, although she was technically considered an emancipated adult capable of taking care of herself due to being orphaned, Kyouko didn't know whether or not it allowed her to be her guardian. So she decided not to say a word and instead looked down at her hands in silence. "Alright then..." sighed Sakazuki as he said, "You were tested for drugs and any illegal substance, all of which came back negative so we at least know you aren't messing with drugs. Sorry for asking this, but I need to know... Have you been engaging in prostitution as a means for support?"

"**What the shit**!?" yelled Kyouko, surprised and embarrassed by the question, her cheeks flushed as she felt a fresh wave of indignation and anger. "I'm not a goddamn whore you jackass! I ain't gonna just up and sell myself to some creepy fuck!". "A simple "no", would've sufficed, but I just needed to know." said Sakzuki as he heard a knock on the door. He sighed and got up, opening the door at a crack and looking at the other side. He seemed to be in the middle of a scolding before he sighed and then looked at the angry redhead before saying, "Alright, your social worker is going to talk to you now.". Kyouko scowled at him before he left the room. Immediately a woman dressed like a typical office lady along with a female officer escort entered the room. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, "_A Christmas Cake huh?_" thought Kyouko as the woman sat down across from Kyouko. She had black hair that had a section tied up in the back, giving it a small ponytail and a small mole was near her lip on her left side. She was dressed in a black business skirt with black stockings and red high-heeled shoes. In addition to that, she had a white-collared, long-sleeved shirt underneath a grey business-vest as well as red diamond-shaped earrings and necklace. Her eyes were light brown that gave off a sense of sadness as well as inner strength that seemed like a comfort to Kyouko, and she smiled kindly at the younger woman before saying, "Hello Sakura-san, I am Fukui Shouko, and I will be in charge of your paperwork. If you like, it can be just you and I here in this room." "Just so you know, I bite, and as a Christmas Cake you look pretty good." said Kyouko with a wry smirk. The woman's eyes widened a bit and she coughed once before saying patiently, "It's really up to you, and whatever is said in this room will stay in this room between you and I.". The female cop looked at Kyouko before the younger girl said, "Yeah whatever, tell the old hag to step out." "Smartass brat..." said the female police officer as she looked at Shouko, before she said, "It's okay, everything will be alright and if I need you I'll call for you.".

As Kyouko looked at the woman, she thought she could sense some faint trace of magic on her. The thought of Kyuubey contracting with a full-grown adult female and her being in a magical girl outfit was so amusing she couldn't help but smirk and laugh under her breath. Also, if Kyouko REALLY wanted to break out of the station, she'd be more than capable of doing so. The woman reached into her bag and fumbled around a bit before pulling out a small pocky box. She passed it over to Kyouko, who took the box and pulled one out. "Sakura-san, I was told that you were currently living with a girl named Tomoe Mami, is that correct?". Kyouko held her pocky like a cigarette before asking, "Well whoever told you that probably didn't have their facts straight. I'm just a homeless brat, bumming off a hotel room." The older woman replied, "That's not true, I'm sorry. Tomoe-san told me herself, and she did in fact arrive here this morning before I even showed up here." Kyouko snapped her pocky in her mouth before slowly chewing, feeling a flush rise in her cheeks at being caught in her lie. So Kyubey had kept his word and informed Mami of her situation, but there was a question rolling in her head that she voiced, "Do you know her? You sound really familiar with Mami.". Shouko replied, "Mam-er, Tomoe-san saved my life once. I don't recall the details too clearly, but I had a very bad day, and something prompted me to want to just end it all. It was like being under a spell, where I just wanted to end things, and that suicide was my only way out." "_Sounds like she had been a victim of a witch at some point._" thought Kyouko to herself. "But then something happened, I don't entirely remember the details, but I knew Tomoe-san had saved me from doing something irreversible." The older woman looked at Kyouko and said, "Tomoe-san helped me and so I promised her I would do everything I could to help you as a way to repay her in even the smallest way I can." The redhead made no reply as looked at Shouko as she began to eat another pocky. There was a silence between the two, but then Kyouko replied, "I also had a really bad day. But well... shit happens.". She held out the box, sticking a pocky out like a cigarette before asking, "Want one?". The older woman smiled, "I'd love one." and took a pocky. Mami was right when she had said that the easiest way to open up to Kyouko was through a food offering.

Kyouko personally was not just going to start trusting the social worker, but if Mami had been involved with her and impacted her enough to want to help her out of this jam, then she was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Kyouko was set to appear before a judge in the afternoon to discuss what was going to happen to her. From what Shouko had said, they had lucked out and gotten a more benevolent judge as well , so he was willing to work something out. But it all depended on Kyouko's behavior and whether or not the owner of the store was going to push for a more severe punishment. Kyouko had asked Shouko about the guy, but the social worker unfortunately admitted she hadn't had a chance to talk with him since he was currently buying a new door. They began to discuss starting a paper-trail for Kyouko and that they would be meeting regularly to take care of formal paperwork. Kyouko made it clear that she would cooperate for Mami's sake, but she was NOT going to just talk about things she didn't want to talk about. "You may know Mami, but I don't know you, so don't expect me to suddenly be best buds with you Miss Cake.". "I understand, and I just want your cooperation. Also, could you not call me that please? I'm only 25." "Whatever Miss Cake. It just sounds easier to remember you.", replied Kyouko with a grin. Shouko sighed and said, "Alright, but please make sure you are on your best behavior." "Gotcha Miss Cake, I'll be on my very bestest behavior.", said Kyouko with insincere sincerity in her voice. The social worker collected herself and said, "I will see you this afternoon Sakura-san, please try to behave.". Lt. Sakazuki returned after exchanging a few short pleasantries before saying, "Alright Sakura-san, we're taking you to the visiting room. Tomoe-san is already waiting for you.". With a sense of dread, Kyouko sighed and put her hands out before looking away, "Alright chief, slap 'em on...". With a raised eyebrow at the gesture, he uncuffed the set that kept Kyouko chained to the table before placing the restraints on her wrists and telling her, "Alright then, stand up and we'll get going to the visitor center to meet with Tomoe-san."

Kyouko's boots and Sakazuki's dress-shoes echoed as they walked down a long corridor to the visitor center. Dread once again filled Kyouko as she walked the corridor, looking and almost feeling like an convict being taken to the electric chair. As the door opened, she saw that the walls were as gray as the floors, and she also saw another uniformed policeman standing by. He moved in front of her and uncuffed Kyouko, but behind him she could see Mami's blond drill hair and she cringed a bit. Sakazuki left her alone and she went to the only chair in the room. She was separated by a bullet-proof glass window from her senior, and in addition to that there was a microphone that allowed for a two-way conversation with no way of physical contact. Kyouko looked at Mami, feeling a wave of guilt as she said with a shaky smile, "Uhh... Hi Mami-san." The older girl had a stern look on her face and by the tone of her voice, Kyouko could tell she was very disappointed with her, "Kyouko, are you alright? I heard about what had happened, but I had hoped it wasn't true that you were actually arrested." The redhead replied dully, "I didn't even do anything. I mean, I just kicked out and a door happened to be in the way." "So why didn't you explain the situation?" asked Mami, a slight frown on her face. "Old habits die hard." replied Kyouko, for she had memories of stealing food even before she became a magical girl. So running from the law whenever she did something she knew was morally questionable. Mami was not impressed, but she was not going to get into chewing Kyouko out for something she didn't even know the whole details about.

She was really worried when Kyouko didn't show up that night for dinner given how much the redhead loved her cooking. At first she thought she was stuck in a battle with the Wraith's, but then Kyubey told her that Kyouko had been detained by the authorities. Needless to say, Mami's worry went up another few notches. Did Kyouko get caught fighting Wraith's? Did she accidentally injure somebody in the middle of a fight or did she do something else? Kyouko may have been abrasive, rude, and not above stealing food or money when she really needed it, but she wasn't the type to just beat up ordinary people for no reason. Plus she had made a turn-around, in that she didn't have to steal money or food anymore since she had been living with Mami. She thought of perhaps getting in touch with Homura to let her know that Kyouko was detained, so she should be aware of possibly having to pick up Kyouko's slack. But that thought was dashed because hey, maybe it was just a misunderstanding, and Kyouko could get released the next day! The truth was a bit more complicated as she quickly found out, but that's when she met a familiar face. It was that office lady that had nearly committed suicide after being subject to a Witch's Kiss, and she still remembered Mami in spite of not entirely remembering the details of how she was put under the witch's spell. Although she kept purposefully vague on the details, Mami did profess to remember helping her in that moment, and she mentioned that Kyouko was a friend that she wanted to help out. So Shouko had promised to do everything she could in return for Mami saving her life, and so far things were going pretty well. The social worker had known some of the officers and court officials, so had things gone through the bureaucracy as per normal protocol, Kyouko was looking at the very least a month or two in jail just to wait for her trial.

"I talked to Fukui-san earlier this morning, and she told me that just from the bare facts that she had received that she would do what she could to help you. But unfortunately I cannot be considered your legal guardian despite being an emancipated adult." said Mami, her hands squeezing a bit on top of her thighs. She knew she was skirting some legal boundaries by keeping Kyouko around, which was frustrating because Kyouko was not legally considered an emancipated adult. "Well maybe we should change my last name to Tomoe and we'll just say you're my uber-hot mom." said Kyouko with a shrug. "Please don't joke Kyouko, this is serious." replied Mami, "I know Mom, and I, Tomoe Sakura, am very sorry.". Mami rubbed her forehead and frowned before speaking telepathically, "_Kyouko, I am not joking around. This is serious, and you may very well be put away for at least a year! Without you around, this city will be in danger with only Akemi-san and I to defend it!_". The redhead rubbed the back of her head, cringing at how she upset Mami, and cursing herself for not keeping her smartass tendencies in check. "_Look I am... I'm sorry Mami. I really didn't mean for things to happen like this. It just got... Stuff just happened that I didn't intend._" replied Kyouko after mulling through her guilt. "_Please Kyouko, just don't aggravate the situation anymore than it already has been._" "Alright Mami, I'm sorry. Seriously I am." said Kyouko, looking straight at the older girl. She was painfully reminded of Sayaka and how much she disapproved of her less-than-noble means of survival. At least back then Kyouko knew that the other girl had no right to look down on her. What did Sayaka know about growing up poor, about going hungry, and how desperation made you make your own rules just to survive? But this was different... Mami had made a serious effort to help her out, and Kyouko ended up in jail as thanks. Mami saw that Kyouko at least had the decency to look guilty, plus she was already feeling trashy enough about being in jail, so she sighed and said, "We'll get through this Kyouko. As long as you behave yourself, and pray that the judge will be easy on you. _This WAS your first offense right?_", "_The first one I got caught for. I... I think I still have some magic left in me, but no promises._" replied Kyouko telepathically before the guard said, "Ten more minutes left.". She had enough to influence people on a small basis, which is how she survived after her family died, so whenever she got caught breaking into places or taking food, she never got busted. Kyouko sighed and began to just make some small talk with Mami, killing time with her until she was taken back to her holding cell.

Later that afternoon, after counting the holes in the ceiling from the tenth time, Kyouko was brought out to go see her appointed attorney. It was a man who you would glance at and not even remember him afterwards, possibly even mistaking him for somebody else in three minutes. Kyouko made at least an honest attempt to listen to the guy talking about how she should act in court, how to address the judge, and what her options were. At best, she would have to perform community service with no fines nor jail time, and at worse she would have to face jail-time despite being a minor because she actively resisted the police. On top of that, he had a "secret weapon". Kyouko's responses were mostly, "Okay", "yeah", "I see", "mmhmm", "yep", "right.". Then there was paperwork that had to be filed and after all that, she was placed in a police-car and driven to the courthouse. It was a relatively short drive to the small brick building, but Kyouko soon was ushered inside to a waiting area in order to be called in. She wrung her hands somewhat nervously, aware of the fact that she had to be on her best behavior like her life depended on it. She had faced witches, wraith's, and even been through death itself, yet she was fretting over the outcome of her trial. The thought nearly made her crack a grin, but she was soon called in by the baliff.

The courtroom was fairly small, but it was built to look wider, and present itself as much more intimidating than it really was. Kyouko saw that Mami was sitting in the benches behind her to watch the case along with a few other onlookers including Homura Akemi. The black-haired girl kept her stoic look as she sat next to Mami, and Kyouko wondered why she was even there. "_I am here at Mami's request, Sakura Kyouko. Nevertheless, I wish you well. So do not become more troublesome than you already have been._", said Homura telepathically, almost indifferently. "_Gee thanks, I feel better already_." said Kyouko in reply, annoyed that Homura at least wasn't more sympathetic to her plight. The Judge was an older man in his late 60s, with glasses and a thick bushy beard that reminded Kyouko of Santa Claus. The prosecutor was a woman in her mid-thirties, sorting through paperwork with a very stern look on her face. Sitting at the defense-bench was Shouko also having paperwork to speak for Kyouko on her behalf. The defense and Shouko set themselves up as the judge banged on his gavel and said, "This trail for Sakura Kyouko is now in sessions." "The Defense is ready Your Honor." said the lawyer. "The Prosecution is ready Your Honor." said the other woman.

The trial was laid out by the Prosecutor stating the facts of the case, calling in the policemen who had detained Kyouko. The Judge in particular was displeased that "excessive force" had been used against the teenager, although the prosecutor was quick to point out that Kyouko willingly resisted arrest. Her lawyer countered that a fifteen year old girl had absolutely no way of resisting a grown man with strength and that he had been wrong in using his mace. The taser was different because it stopped her from running, but he added that she was known to be homeless, so trusting adults could've put fear in her. "_Ugh, this is like something out of a lame crime drama, and I'm the star it would seem_.", thought Kyouko as the trial dragged on. The judge seemed to have sympathy for Kyouko due to her being technically homeless, but he didn't ignore the fact she had broken the law, a fact that Shouko tried to diminish as much as she could. But then that's when something new came up that Kyouko was not expecting. That "secret weapon" was being called in to validate Kyouko's character and that she was a good person. The defense called in, "Kazama Yuuma, the owner of the establishment in question.". The baliff brought forth the man to the witness stand, looking Kyouko straight in the face the whole time. The look creeped her out and her lawyer began to question him, "How did you come to know Sakura-san?". The man began to speak, almost deliberately as if he had been working on his words for the longest time.

"It was about two years ago. I was... in a very bad place at the time, mentally speaking that is, erm... I-I had access to a gun an old buddy of mine carried from the police. I don't even remember the whole story other than that something possessed me to take my life, but this girl... she stopped me!". He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair as he continued, "She knocked the gun from my hands and before I knew it, that horrible feeling I had was just... gone. It was like being lifted from a spell that I had been placed in, and she told me that I was alright. "You aren't gonna die today, you got that idiot?", was what she said. I never saw her again after that, and I quit the force not long after. But I never forgot Sakura-san, and I know she made a mistake, but I still haven't forgotten that gift of life she gave me that day. I talked to the officers and I still do not want any charges pressed." "Thank you sir, that will do." said the judge. "_Okaaay... laying on it a little thick there pal_." thought Kyouko, feeling a slight tug at her memory. This HAD to be a long time ago because she didn't even remember this guy! Hell, it could've been Tuesday or Christmas Day for all she remembered, but this guy had apparently been obsessing over it for the longest time. After being excused from the witness-stand, the judge began to deliberate Kyouko's fate. The girl held her hands as if she was praying, closing her eyes and concentrating. Shouko put a hand on hers to reassure her, unaware that she was interrupting Kyouko's attempt at trying to find her enchantment magic. "_C'mon, c'mon! Judge, Not Guilty, Not_ _Guilty!"._ she thought as she continued to try her magic. The Judge said, "Sakura-san, stand up please."

The redhead stood up shakily and looked at the judge. "It is my belief that you are a good person, that you have done wonderful deeds and have lived a hard and unfair life. Nevertheless, you have broken the law, so you must understand that there are consequences." Kyouko gulped a bit as the judge continued, "However though, I do not believe it appropriate to punish you severely for this mistake. Therefore, I am sentencing you to one month community service by paying off the damages done to Kazama-san's establishment. He has requested that you work for him to pay off the damages and-"

"OBJECTION!"

"Sakura-san, . have. a. problem!?" said the judge very sternly, looking at the girl as she pointed at the judge, shouting the only lawyer word she knew. "N-none at all Your Honor, I uhh... just noticed that it hadn't been used, so I figured somebody had to use that word, right? Ehehehe..." replied Kyouko in embarrassment as she looked down. In the audience, there were a couple of snickers, and Mami had her hands in her face as she shook her head. The lawyer looked as if he had crapped his pants while Shouko had stiffened at the sudden outburst. But to Kyouko's surprise, the judge actually chuckled and said, "Well that's true. I don't suppose it truly is a trial unless the word "objection" is used, but please be more conscientious about that Sakura-san." He cleared his throat and pounded the gavel before saying, "OVERRULED!" with a good-natured laugh. Then he continued, "You will pay for the damages, and in the meantime you will be monitored by Fukui Shouko as well as placed under temporary guardianship of Tomoe Mami, whom I am told has been looking after your affairs. This is somewhat unprecedented, but seeing as how she is indeed an emancipated adult, you will be required to be an emancipated adult yourself if you do not prefer being placed under foster care.". The blonde looked up, enormous relief on her face as she hugged Homura. Despite herself, the other girl had the smallest grin crack her lips before she gently pushed Mami off her. "I would like to be an emancipated adult Your Honor." said Kyouko, finally smiling. The judge nodded and said, "This trial has ended, good luck Sakura-san.".

From his position in the court, Yuuma thought to himself as Kyouko was led away, "_So it begins... I can finally settle that debt I owe to you Kyouko Sakura. I know it's weird, but I truly do have the best intentions for you, just like you did for me that day._"

* * *

Immortal: Well, there you have it! The second chapter is done. I honestly feel like things were a bit rushed here, but I hope it wasn't too bad. Also, Fukui Shouko is NOT an original character. She is in fact the Office Lady from episode 2, and I just really feel like she has a lot of potential to be a reoccurring character, so I wanted to include her in this story. Her name Fukui (fortunate) Shouko (auspicious child) is a reference to her being lucky enough to have Mami save her life after being hit with a Witch's Kiss! I don't know if she has an actual canon name or not, but since I couldn't find it, I just decided to make up my own name for her.

Kazama Yuuma is an OC, but don't worry he is NOT gonna be paired up with Kyouko or some other creepy thing.

Title Drop's and Objections were definitely something that HAD to be thrown in at some point. Well, till next chapter! Please leave a review, would you kindly?


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